Cameras and/or other image capturing devices may require a user to perform certain procedures to take a photograph. However, some portions of the picture taking process may be automated in certain image capturing systems. For example, some cameras may have auto-focus and auto-exposure-adjustment.
Cameras may be used to capture images of objects in motion. For example, a user may wish to capture an image of a baseball at the moment that a bat strikes it. Accordingly, the user may employ a camera to photograph such an image by activating the camera at the appropriate moment. This approach is risky, however, because the user may not adequately estimate the appropriate moment. Unless the user activates the camera at exactly the correct moment, the image captured may not be the desired moment of impact.
Alternatively, the user may improve the chances of capturing the desired moment by taking a series of pictures. For example, a user may employ a video camera to capture a series of images before and after the bat contacts the baseball. The images thus captured may then be analyzed to determine at what moment the ball changed direction. Accordingly, the appropriate image may be selected. However, while this approach improves the likelihood that the correct image will be captured, it requires time for analysis, more storage space (e.g. film or electronic storage), and additional energy consumption. In addition, a video sequence may not contain the best moment because the shutter of a video camera is released at equal time intervals and has no correlation with the state of the moving object being captured.